·
At this time
there is no formal plan for regionalization between neighboring counties.

·
Extension
will remain county-based, but include more formalization for sharing resources
across county lines.

·
Counties
support 20-60% of funds that support Extension.

Concerns expressed
by committee members were:

·
Travel to
neighboring county would be time consuming

·
Doesn't
extension have a standard set by CSU for what they need to fulfill?

·
Support from
the county has to be in place. County commissioners across the state have to
have knowledge of what Extension does to gain their support.

Commissioner
Rennels comment:

·
Larimer
County will not take away from our county resources to pick up program losses
in other counties. Those choices are theirs. The counties who make those
decisions cannot rely on counties who still have programs.

Committee member
comments continued:

·
It is great
to hear our county commissioners support Larimer County Extension programs.

·
Support also
needs to come from CSU.

·
Extension
needs to become more political and promote Extension.

·
Keep Larimer
County Extension as is and don’t dilute our resource for Larimer County residents.

·
Make sure
partnerships are done correctly and are fair for all counties.

Extension
Showcase

Extension Showcase
is scheduled for 12 Noon on Friday, December 4. It was suggested to send out a
"save the date" card sooner this year so attendees can get it on
their calendar.

Agent
Report: Alison Stoven, Horticulture

Whether
residents have ailing trees or parched lawns, or simply want to grow
award-winning tomatoes to display at the County Fair—Larimer County’s Colorado
Master Gardeners can help!

The
Colorado Master Gardener program is a statewide volunteer program sponsored by Colorado
State University and Extension. Volunteers receive 60 hours of initial
training covering soils, turf, irrigation, insects and diseases affecting
trees, shrubs, lawns, flowers and vegetables. Each year thereafter, 12 hours of
continuing education are required for Master Gardeners to stay abreast of
current horticulture research and gardening practices. Master Gardeners help
Extension staff deliver educational programs and research-based solutions to
residents’ questions and economic and environmental concerns.

In
2008, Larimer County’s 94 Colorado Master Gardeners & apprentices
volunteered 5,863 hours, valued at over $114,000 in services. The 20,346
county residents who took advantage of their advice & educational programs
found help at a variety of venues: